Electric heater



1965 w. A. STEENBERGEN 3,218,433

ELECTRIC HEATER Filed Jan. 20, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILL IAMA. JTEANBERGEN ATTYS.

Nov. 16, 1965 w, STEENBERGEN 3,218,433

ELECTRIC HEATER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 20, 1964 INVENTOR. WILLIAMA. JTEENBEIZGEN ATTYS.

Nov. 16, 1 w. A. STEENBERGEN 3,218,433

ELECTRIC HEATER Filed Jan. 20, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. WILLIAMA. JTEENBERGEN ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,218,433 ELECTRIC HEATER William A. Steenhergen,Spokane, Wash., assignor to Kim Hotstart Manufacturing Company, Spokane,Wash, a corporation of Washington Filed Jan. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 338,6493 Claims. (Cl. 219208) This invention relates to a novel heater for acirculatory water system while at rest, and is primarily concerned witha heater for the cooling system of an internal combustion engine adaptedto maintain the circulatory water system of the engine at a desiredtemperature when the engine is not running.

The present invention contemplates a small electrical heating unit forthe water system of an internal combustion engine, requiring nomechanical parts for circulatory action of the water, reliance beingplaced upon the percolating action of heated water, which will rise fromthe heater and create the necessary current through the normal coolingsystem of the engine. The heater utilizes an outside source of electricpower, and is designed to maintain the engine block at a desiredconstant temperature during periods in which the engine is not used. Theheater makes use of a one-way valve to prevent reverse flow of water andto insure a steady incoming stream of water to the heater elements.

It is a first object of this invention to provide such a heater whereinthe heating element, the inlet valve, the thermostat, and all electricalconnections are mounted on a single panel or wall of the enclosurewithin which the water is heated, so that all such components can beremoved as a unit for repair or cleaning purposes.

Another object of. the invention is to provide a rectangular-shapedenclosure for purposes of better accommodating the heater to smallerspaces about an engine, and so as to make more accessible the interiorof the enclosure for cleaning purposes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel hinge arrangementat the inlet valve, so as to minimize the opportunity for build-up ofmetal or debris at the valve, which might detract from its normaloperation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel heater with theoutlet located directly above the bulk of the heating element, anddirected angularly upward, thereby providing the most effective andprompt exit of heated water without accumulation of air bubbles.

These and further objects will be evident from a study of the followingdisclosure, taken together with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate a preferred form of the invention. It is to be understood atthe outset that the preferred, illustrated form of the invention is notto restrict the scope of the invention, which is more definitely set outin the claims following this disclosure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of a heater constructed according to thisinvention, the connections to the water lines and source of electricalpower being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the heater as seen from the left in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the heater as seen from the right in FIGURE1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view at an enlarged scale taken along line 4-4in FIGURE 1;

ICC

FIGURE 5 is a vertical, sectional elevation taken down the center of theheater shown in FIGURE 1, the heating element loop being shown in fulllines;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is an elevation view of an engine equipped with the instantheater;

FIGURE 9 is a top view of the heater with a portion of the protectivecover being broken away;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the hinge thatcarries the one-way valve; and

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged sectional view through the connection of oneend of the heater element and the mounting wall of the enclosure.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in detail a typicalinstallation and a typical heater 11 as contemplated by this invention.The heater 11 is designed to be mounted in the circulatory coolingsystem of an internal combustion engine, such as that designated generally by the numeral 11) in FIGURE 8. The inlet hose for the heater 11is shown at 12. The inlet hose 12 would be connected to the inlet of thewater pump used to circulate fluid through the cooling system of engine10 during operation of the engine 10. An outlet hose 13 is connected tothe top of the block in engine 10, through the normally availableconnections of the cooling system.

The structure of the heater itself can generally be understood by astudy of FIGURES 1 through 7 and FIG- URE 9. As shown, the main body ofthe heater 11 is a rectangular enclosure 14 having side walls 15, a topwall 16 and a bottom wall 17 that converge slightly toward the closedend of the enclosure 14. The opposite end of the enclosure 14 is open,and mounts a wall 18 that is sealed by means of a gasket 20. Thetapering of the walls 15, 16 and 17 is designed to facilitate casting ofthe enclosure 14 and to aid in the removal of the necessary core, sothat the enclosure 14 can be readily and efficiently cast as a singleunit, preferably of aluminum. The wall 18 also is preferably cast as aunit, and should also be made of aluminum.

The top wall 16 of enclosure 14 has formed thereon an outlet connection21 that projects upwardly from enclosure 14 at an angle to thehorizontal as can be seen in FIGURES 1 and 5. The terminal end of theconnection 21 is formed to receive the outlet hose 13, which is securedby means of a clamp 22 in the usual, conventional manner.

The wall 18 is releasably mounted on the enclosure 14 by means of screws23 that seal the wall 18 relatively to the interior of enclosure 14 dueto the engagement of the gasket 20. An elongated inlet connection 24 iscast integrally with wall 18 and protrudes perpendicularly therefrom.Its outer terminal end is also formed to receive a hose 12, which isgripped by another clamp 22. The interior end of the inlet connection 24has an angular face 25 that serves as the seat for a hinged one-wayvalve element 26 carried on stationary hinges 27. The hinges 27 aresomewhat unique, and are fabricated as seen in detail in FIGURE 10. Eachof the two hinges 27 for the valve element 26 is a stainless steel wirehaving an enlarged head 28 imbedded in the cast aluminum of the wall 18.The pin 28 is bent upwardly and back upon itself to form a closedsupporting hinge structure. Since the hinge 27 is made of stainlesssteel rather than aluminum, aluminum will not stick to the hinge 27during the casting of the apparatus, at which time the hinges 27 areheld in place by the mold wherein which the wall 18 is cast. Thisprovides a hinge free of corrosion and eliminates the build-up ofaluminum at the hinge structure, which obviously would interfere withthe proper operation of the valve element 26.

Located directly above the inlet connection 24 is a heating elementcomprising a core wire 30 of electrical resistance material. The corewire 30 is surrounded by a suitable insulating material 31 and aprotective copper shield 32 and is generally horizontal, terminating ina multiple loop 37. The loop 37 is located directly beneath the outletopening 21 of the enclosure 14, so as to concentrate the heating ofwater to the area directly under the outlet connection 21.

The electrical connections to the heating element can best be seen inFIGURE 5, there being two leads 38 and 40 adapted to be connected to anexterior source of electrical power. The lead 38 is shown directlyconnected to a first terminal 41 of the heating element. The second lead40 is connected to a first terminal 42 of a thermostat mechanism 43. Theremaining connection of the thermostat mechanism 43 is shown at 44 andis directly connected to the remaining terminal of the heating element,shown by the numeral 45.

The thermostat mechanism 43 can best be seen in FIGURE 4, and is aconventional thermostat, being designed for surface transmission ofheat. A special recess 46 is formed in the inlet connection 24 at oneside thereof, and a metal conductive plate 47 of the thermostatmechanism 43 is fixed within the recess 46 by many desired means,preferably by using a punch to urge the surrounding metal toward thethermostat mechanism 43. The thermostat construction utilizes a normallyconvex disk 48 of bimetallic construction, having a pin 50 mounted inthe main body 51 of the thermostat mechanism 43 in contact with the disk48. By means of the pin 50, the movement of disk 48 is transmitted to aset of movable contacts 52 biased toward a closed position by means of aspring 53. After the desired temperature in the systeni has beenreached, the pin 50 will open the contacts 52 and break the circuit tothe heating element within enclosure 14.

The close proximity of the thermostat mechanism 43 to the interior ofenclosure 14 insures that the thermostat mechanism 43 will measure thetemperature of the incoming water at its coolest point. In this manner,a very true indication of the temperature of the water within the engineis obtained at all times, so that the effectiveness of the heater 11 canbe precisely regulated.

A protective cover 55 is mounted over the outside end of wall 18, beingheld in place by a single screw 56 that engages the inlet connection 24as can be seen in FIG- URE 5. Thus, when complete, the entire device isfully enclosed and not subject to damage by exterior forces. Theenclosure 14 is provided with a mounting flange 57 at the top wall 16,so as to be carried on the engine 10 by means of a horizontal bracket 58and releasable bolts 60. The device can be attached to engine 10 orremoved from the engine 10 simply by releasing the bolts 60 and lockingof the hoses 12 and 13.

The apparatus as shown provides a more effective valve 26 to allowentrance of water to the interior of enclosure 14 as the Waterpercolates upward through the outlet connection 21. This percolation ormovement of water through outlet connection 21 will begin immediately asthe element is heated, prior to opening of the valve element 26. As thecurrent increases, the valve 26 will open and close intermittently toallow the interior of enclosure 14 to remain full at all times. Theimproved stainless steel hinges 27 insure long life and proper action ofthe valve element 26. The location of the heating element loop 37directly under the outlet connection 21 insures the most effectivetransfer of heat to water that can immediately escape upwardly throughthe angularly directed outlet connection 21. This angular directionprevents the accumulation of air bubbles in the outlet connection 21 andminimizes the collection of bubbles throughout the cooling system ofengine 10.

The enire mechanism of the heating device is mounted on the removablewall 18, which can be readily detached from the remainder of enclosure14 by release of the screws 23. Thus, the interior of enclosure 14 isreadily accessible for cleaning of sludge or accumulated materials, andthe replacement of the electrical mechanism or valve can be accomplishedreadily without removing the enclosure 14 from an engine.

It is contemplated that the heating element will be removable from thewall 13, but it is sealed in the manner shown in FIGURE 11, by forcingthe copper shield 32 through a slightly tapered aperture in the wall 18and bending the copper shield back upon itself to form a flared terminalend of increased wall thickness as shown at 61 in FIGURE 11.

The hinges 27 are preferably bent outward as shown in FIGURE 6 so as tolimit upward movement of element 26 to a position such as shown indashed lines in FIGURE 10. This limitation assures proper closing ofelement 26 and allows the unit to be mounted vertically, when desired,with the valve at the bottom end of the unit.

Thus I have disclosed an improved and more eflicient electrical heatingdevice for the cooling system of an internal combustion engine. Itprovides ready accessibility for repair and cleaning purposes, andmaximum eflicient transfer of heat to the cooling system water. Thespecific details as described are not entirely critical, and equivalentstructures can be substituted in many instances. For this reason, onlythe following claims are intended to define and limit the scope of theinvention contained in the illustrated embodiment just described.

Having thus described and illustrated my invention, I claim:

1. An electric heater for the cooling system within an internalcombustion engine, comprising:

a sealed enclosure of generally rectangular configuration;

a fluid inlet connection formed integrally on one vertical end wall ofsaid enclosure, said one end wall being selectively releasable from theremainder of said enclosure;

a fluid outlet connection formed integrally on the top wall of saidenclosure in open communication with the interior of said enclosure;

a one-way valve at the interior of said enclosure mounted on said fluidinlet connection adapted to prevent escape of fluid from said enclosurethrough said fluid inlet;

and heater means carried on said one end wall of said enclosure, saidheater means being concentrated within said enclosure at a locationsituated directly beneath said fluid outlet connection.

2. A heater as defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid outlet connectionis projected outwardly from said enclosure at an angle directedoppositely to the direction of said inlet connection.

3. An electric heater for a circulatory water system at rest,comprising:

a sealed enclosure cast of aluminum;

inlet means located at one wall of said enclosure, said one wall beinglocated in an upright position;

exit means located at the upper wall of said enclosure in opencommunication with the interior of said enclosure;

valve means interposed between said inlet means and the interior of saidenclosure adapted to prevent escape of liquid from said enclosurethrough said inlet means and to allow entry of liquid to the enclosureinterior through said inlet means, said valve means comprising:

a valve seat cast integrally with said one Wall of said enclosure;

stainless steel hinges embedded within said enclosure upwardly adjacentto said valve seat;

and a movable valve member pivotally carried in said hinges for movementrelative to said valve seat;

and heater means carried on said one Wall of said enclosure, said heatermeans extending Within said enclosure to a location situated directlybeneath said exit means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTSFrance.

RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

ANTHONY BARTIS, Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRIC HEATER FOR THE COOLING SYSTEM WITHIN AN INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINE, COMPRISING: A SEALED ENCLOSURE OF GENERALLYRECTANGULAR CONFIGURATION; A FLUID INLET CONNECTION FORMED INTEGRALLY ONONE VERTICAL END WALL OF SAID ENCLOSURE, SAID ONE END WALL BEINGSELECTIVELY RELEASABLE FROM THE REMAINDER OF SAID ENCLOSURE; A FLUIDOUTLET CONNECTION FORMED INTEGRALLY ON THE TOP WALL OF SAID ENCLOSURE INOPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID ENCLOSURE; A ONE-WAY VALVEAT THE INTERIOR OF SAID ENCLOSURE MOUNTED ON SAID FLUID INLET CONNECTIONADAPTED TO PREVENT ESCAPE OF FLUID FROM SAID ENCLOSURE THROUGH SAIDFLUID INLET; AND HEATER MEANS CARRIED ON SAID ONE END WALL OF SAIDENCLOSURE, SAID HEATER MEANS BEING CONCENTRATED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE ATA LOCATION SITUATED DIRECTLY BENEATH SAID FLUID OUTLET CONNECTION.